Ep. 90: Challenges in Diagnosis and Treatment of Chronic Urticaria in Skin of Color
Part of the series: Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Innovations Podcast
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LISTEN TO EPISODE 90:
Chronic hives (urticaria) don’t look the same on everyone, and for people with skin of color, this can lead to confusion, misdiagnosis, and frustrating delays in treatment.
Dr. Ama Alexis joins Dr. Gupta and Kortney to discuss the unique challenges of diagnosing and managing urticaria in skin of color. Chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) can be especially tricky to identify in patients with darker skin tones, where traditional medical resources and visual aids often fall short.
Dr. Alexis explains how CSU appears differently in skin of color, discussing the difficulty of capturing hives on black and brown skin and offering advice for photographing hives to share with your doctor.
Dr. Gupta and Dr. Alexis also delve into the lack of diversity in clinical research and medical literature, exploring how these gaps contribute to mistrust and delays in treatment for patients of color. We end with a discussion on whether patients have better outcomes with providers who reflect the patient’s background.
What we cover in our episode about chronic urticaria in skin of color:
Identifying CSU in Darker Skin Tones: Dr. Alexis shares insights on how hives appear on darker skin and gives tips for photographing hives accurately.
Limited Visual Resources for Skin of Color: We discuss how a lack of reliable images for darker skin often leads to confusion and feelings of isolation.
Provider Training and Diagnosis Delays: Dr. Alexis highlights how limited training in diagnosing skin conditions across all skin tones contributes to delays in care.
Collaborating on a Treatment Plan: Tips for patients on advocating for inclusive care, with guidance on both over-the-counter and prescription options.
Cultural Sensitivity in Healthcare: Dr. Alexis shares ways healthcare providers can foster shared decision-making to improve outcomes for patients of colour.
About Our Hive Expert
Dr. Ama Alexis, MD, is a board-certified allergist and immunologist with expertise in treating allergic and immunologic conditions. She is a physician at Hudson Allergy in New York City and has completed extensive training at some of the nation’s leading institutions, including the University of Maryland, Johns Hopkins University, and the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. Dr. Alexis is passionate about patient-centered care and focuses on understanding each patient’s unique medical and cultural needs. She is dedicated to improving access to quality care for all patients, especially those from diverse backgrounds, and has a special interest in addressing health disparities within allergy and immunology.
More resources about spontaneous hives:
Other episodes about urticaria:
Timestamps
Hives in Skin of Color
01:34 - Defining Chronic Spontaneous Urticaria (CSU)
02:31 - Why focus on CSU in skin of color
03:25 - Appearance of hives in skin of color
05:15 - Challenges finding photos online for hives in black skin
05:51 - Lack of doctor training on recognizing hives in all skin tones
08:06 - Diagnosis delays for skin of color patients and impacts
09:44 - Treatment delays and their effects
10:43 - Costs of over-the-counter treatments
13:20 - Working with your doctor on a treatment plan
14:33 - Research on including patients with skin of color
16:39 - Advice for patients with unsupportive providers
17:57 - Tips for doctors to better support skin of color patients
19:42 - Patient frustrations from delayed diagnosis
21:35 - Effect of having a doctor who resembles the patient
25:35 - Importance of shared decision-making
